.png)
Elgin Independent School District leaders are urging families to remain alert as measles outbreaks emerge across the state, including one case close to home.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has reported 309 measles cases since late January, primarily in the South Plains and Panhandle regions. While no infections have been recorded in Elgin, one case has been confirmed in Austin, officials said.
Statewide, at least 40 individuals have been hospitalized, and one unvaccinated school-aged child has died from the disease, according to health officials. No cases have been reported in Bastrop County, DSHS said.
“We remain dedicated to maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment for all students,” Elgin ISD Superintendent Jana Rueter wrote in a letter to parents, emphasizing the virus’s contagious nature.
Rueter told the Courier she believes measles is a “big, big, big deal,” adding that outbreaks can significantly impact attendance and, consequently, district funding.
School districts in Texas are funded based on average daily attendance, not total enrollment—a model Rueter said puts districts in a bind during illness outbreaks.
“We base our budget on about 90% attendance, but it’s gone down in recent years (from 96%),” she said. “We’re doing everything we can to continue to promote attendance. We don’t want students to come to school when they’re sick, but really since COVID I would say it’s just a different mentality—students are more likely to stay home if they don’t feel like going.”
Although the district plans its expenditures based on enrollment, state funding is tied to who actually shows up, she explained.
“It’s different, it’s hard, but that’s how school districts are funded in Texas,” Rueter added. “We’ve been begging them to change, but they haven’t, they won’t. We build our budget for the next school year based on projected enrollment, but when school starts, different things happen— like measles—that can change everything.”
Rueter said Elgin’s unvaccinated student population is “a very small percentage,” but measles’ high transmissibility remains a concern.
“It was eye-opening to learn how serious it is,” she added, following a meeting with public health officials from Austin. “If you are unvaccinated and enter a space where someone with the measles has been, you will catch it.”
The superintendent cited a North Texas district that has plummeted to a nearly 60% attendance rate, attributed to an anti-vaccine group in the area.
According to health officials, measles often begins with a fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis and tiny white spots in the mouth, followed by a red rash that starts on the face. The virus can linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves.
David Morley, a local emergency medicine physician, said about 90% of unvaccinated individuals exposed to measles will become infected, underscoring the importance of the measles- mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine.
District officials are encouraging parents to verify their children’s vaccinations and review prevention tips to help avoid both illness and disruptions to attendance.
Families with questions are advised to contact their family physician for more information.
